When NFL legend Tom Brady retired at the end of last season, the Buccaneers acted quickly, signing veteran Baker Mayfield to add to the quarterback room as the presumed heir apparent to Brady under center.
Tampa Bay had former Florida quarterback Kyle Trask on the roster, after using a second round pick on him in the 2021 NFL draft. Now, it appears that not only is Trask pushing Mayfield to make the quarterback competition interesting, but he could ultimately win the job.
New Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Dave Canales said that while Mayfield’s experience helped him get off to a fast start this summer, things have “absolutely” tightened in recent days.
“First couple of days, I think the experience that Baker brings—just playing in games, being in camps, going through installs—you could see where the offense was jelling really well,” Canales told Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times. “The timing of the snaps and all that is really critical for us, so probably a little bit of an edge to Baker to start off, just in terms of smoothness of the offense. But it just took a couple days for Kyle to really settle in, and then what we saw is, the last two practices Kyle really showed us what he can do … stretching the field with his arm, getting the ball out quickly, making decisions. So I’m really excited about both of those guys and the progression that they’ve made throughout the last couple of days.”
Whether Trask can actually win the starting job, or if this is just coach speak, remains to be seen. However, Buccaneers fans should be encouraged that Trask has made strides in his game that can undoubtedly be attributed to learning under Brady the last couple seasons.
Mayfield may end up winning the starting job, but Trask may have his say before season’s end, especially if Mayfield ends up struggling.
